"Living the Spirit"

Scripture text: Acts 2:1-21

Today is one of the very special days in the life of the church – our introduction into a life in the Spirit. Pentecost had been a Hebrew holiday for a long time, but this is the day that it would take on a whole new meaning for the faithful.

The events that would come about on that day had been promised for many years.
- The prophet Joel had prophesied this day 800 years before – 2:28-29
- John the Baptist prophesied to this day a couple of years before – Luke 3:15-16
- Jesus Himself had promised this day before His ascension – Acts 1:4-5

Baptized with the Holy Spirit! The disciples knew about water baptism. John the Baptist did it, even they did it. You “buried” a person under the water, and when they rose up, they were, at least symbolically, a new person. For many, it had been a powerful experience, but for most, it was more of a simple and personal commitment to Jesus’ way than anything else. How much different could baptism by the Holy Spirit be?

Read Acts 2:1-4

I guess it was a lot different!

There is a story of an English bishop who visited a sleepy little parish along the river Thames. The village priest was discouraged and depressed, not really accomplishing very much. Finally, the priest confessed, 'Bishop, I can not say that we are setting the Thames on fire.' The bishop looked him sternly in the eye and said, 'Young man, I am not the least bit concerned about setting the Thames on fire. What I want to know is, if I take you out and drop you in it, will you sizzle?'
--James A. Harnish, Tampa, Florida, 29 May 1994.

The bishop wanted to know how the Spirit had touched the priest – was he on fire for the Lord? Unless he was walking with the Spirit, it was meaningless to even begin to talk about the members of his parish. The bishop wanted to know if the young priest was “living in the spirit”. If the Holy Spirit is in your life, you just have to sizzle! And if it isn’t, there isn’t going to be much going on within you.

On this day in Jerusalem, every person who was in that room was sizzling! Between the rushing wind and the tongues of fire, no one could escape the power and blessing of God, and they all began speaking in languages that they had never spoken before.

Read Acts 2:5-13

And even while many people were amazed at what they were hearing, there were some who just had to try to explain this miracle away. So what else is new? People who can’t quite convince themselves that God’s works are worthy of their trust, will always have secular explanations for His miracles. Have you heard some ofthese?
- The plagues in Egypt?
They were the result of volcanic action on the other side of the Mediterranean!
- The crossing of the Read Sea and the Jordon?
It was the wind that pushed the water apart!
- Isaiah’s victory over the priests of Baal?
A convenient thunder and lightning storm!
- The raising of Lazarus?
He wasn’t really dead! And neither were those children that Jesus supposedly brought back to life.
- The Resurrection of Christ?
He wasn’t really dead either, or it’s also possible that His body was stolen! We aren’t quite sure which it is.
- And now the speaking in tongues?
They’re all drunk!
Why is the world so afraid to take God at His word? Isn’t the evidence sufficient? Isn’t the witness of 3,000 new believers sufficient?

Read Acts 2:14-21

The Spirit had been promised, the Spirit had arrived, and now was the time for the Spirit to begin working in the lives of all believers. At first, it was the ability to speak so that everyone who was present could receive the message of salvation. Later, it would be visions that would clarify the Lord’s desire for each apostle, and later it would enable the evangelists to respond to God’s call without fear or hesitation, no matter where that call would take them and no matter what that call would require.
And how would it manifest itself in the people? Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia gives us some insight.

Read Galatians 5:16-17,22-25

It’s the power of the Holy Spirit that allows us to reject the sinful life, and to begin to set those things that are not of God far behind us. And yet, power is never mentioned in the list of “Fruit”! It isn’t about how much power we receive – it’s about remaining connected to the Spirit, and letting Him decide when, where, and how much “fruit” to send us.

The Christian author Herb Miller writes: “The branch does not need to get up every morning and say to itself, ‘I must work hard, or there will be no grapes.’ The branch's power comes from staying connected to the vine. In the same way, God gives us spiritual growth as a gift, through the power of the Holy Spirit, as we connect and stay connected with Christ. I am the vine, you are the branches ... bear much fruit” (John 15:5).
--Herb Miller, Connecting With God: 14 Ways Churches Can Help People Grow Spiritually (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995), 15.

Living within God’s Spirit has never been about our doing great things. It is solely a matter of remaining connected to God, and letting Him do whatever He knows is best.

So what does this mean for the people of today?
What can “living the Spirit” possibly accomplish?
What’s in it for us?
These are all pretty good questions, but the truth is that I don’t really have an answer! It’s going to be different for each of us and different for every situation that we find ourselves in. The only thing that I know for certain is that for a Christian who lives, and follows and trusts the Spirit’s leading, amazing things will happen. But the glory of those happenings will never be ours. We will be demeaned, despised, ridiculed, shouted down, and persecuted, and yet, the Holy Spirit will not be stopped.

In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He began His message with the Beatitudes, and the last is this: (Matthew 5:11-12)” Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Galatians 5 didn’t tell us a single thing about power, and it also failed to mention glory. Neither of these will be ours in this life. But that doesn’t mean that power and glory won’t be evident! We will receive love, joy, peace, patience and the rest of that list, while God will use the power of His Holy Spirit to gain glory for the name of Jesus Christ. And we have been given the opportunity to be part of that glory-gain.

How much more could we possibly hope for than a “reward in heaven”? Would you prefer the glory-gain of earth that only lasts a few days, or at best a few short years, or would you prefer a glory that is eternal? The choice is ours to make. Rewards that fail, or rewards that last forever?

Seems like a pretty simply decision to me. Choose well.